Article

Startup ‘eyes' health care

EyeSite kiosk founder hopes to get more people into the doctor's office.

February 17, 2008

Ocular care seems to be on the low end of the totem pole for most people. According to the American Optometric Association, the average person visits an eye care professional only every 36 to 48 months — about half as often as recommended.

 

But a new health-care kiosk designed to educate and identify potential eye problems could go a long way in making eye care all the rage. EyeSite, a self-service eye health awareness and patient referral kiosk, is the brainchild of Bart Foster, a former employee of CIBA Vision, a global company working on the research, development and manufacturing of contact lenses and lens care products.

 

As president of the startup SoloHealth, the company that is marketing the EyeSite kiosk, Foster is aiming to get patients of all ages back to the eye doctor's office.

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"(The kiosk) is not a replacement to an eye exam by a doctor," Foster said. "But it is going to give someone an indication of their visual acuity."

 

Piloting at select locations in 2008, the EyeSite will be placed in high-traffic retail environments, which could include malls, pharmacies and retail stores, where optical care is not too far away.

 

To use the free kiosk, individuals walk up to device and answer questions on the touchscreen. It will ask things such as the person's age, the date of the person's last eye exam and whether or not he wears contacts or glasses, Foster said.

 

Bart Foster, president of SoloHealth.

Based on that information, the kiosk will present a series of stimuli for both near and distance vision. Then, based on the responses, the kiosk will print out a report and give the user video analysis of the results.

 

"The way the software is built, the kiosk will create a unique experience that is customizable to the user," Foster said.

 

The kiosks also will provide additional eye health information — for example, data about eye diseases. Consumers usually think only about how well they can see, but that is only one part of eye health, Foster said. Individuals can have cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration and not know it because no pain is associated with those conditions. They sometimes don't even know they have a problem because eye sight deteriorates so slowly over time.

 

The kiosk also will give information about local eye professionals and encourage the user to visit them for a thorough eye examination.

 

With millions of people needing vision correction, but not knowing they need it, Foster decided he wanted to find an easier way to get people's attention. Therefore, partnering with CIBA Vision, he started SoloHealth and began testing ideas for an eye kiosk. 

 

The target audience is very broad, he said; after all, eye issues affect just about everyone in the world. "We're going to start small and learn, but we know once we prove moderate success we will have to scale quickly."

 

According to the American Optometric Association, the need for and frequency of optometric examinations vary with age, race, medical history, family history, occupation and other factors. Individuals with ocular signs or symptoms require prompt examination. The presence of certain risk factors may necessitate more frequent evaluations based on professional judgment.

 

On average, those with an "at risk" designation and between the ages of 18 and 60 should have exams every one to two years. Those who are asymptomatic should get an exam every two to three years. Examples of "at risk" individuals include those diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension, or who have a family history of glaucoma, particularly African Americans those who work in highly visually demanding occupations or ones that may be hazardous to the eye; and those taking certain systemic medications with ocular side effects.

 

The EyeSite kiosk has drawn attention. SoloHealth was one of 15 companies to participate in the CapVenture program at Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center. The kiosk also will be on display April 16 and 17 at KioskCom Self Service Expo in Las Vegas.

 

In the end, Foster hopes the kiosk will educate the public about eye health and drive demand for eye exams.

 

"It's something that grows the entire eye vision industry," he said. "Manufacturers win because they sell more product; the eye doctors get to see more patients; and consumers are more educated about products and services."